HISTORY OF RADIO IN GHANA

In the 1930s, radio was considered an intimate and credible medium of mass communication.
The public used it as a news source and expected it to provide factual information. Radio was the
first truly mass medium of communication, reaching millions of people instantly and altering
social attitudes, family relationships, and how people related to their environment.

Radio is an attractive medium among the various mass communication media because of its
special characteristics. It continues to be as relevant and potent as it was in the early years
despite the emergence of more glamorous and digital forms of media. It is true that in the first
phase of broadcasting spanning three decades from the early twenties, radio reigned alone or was
the dominant player. However, over a period of time, the media scene has changed drastically.
(History of Radio, 2020)

Broadcasting began in Ghana on 31st July, 1935 from a wired relay station opened in Accra. Sir
Arnold Hodson (also known as the Sunshine Soldier) who was the then Governor of the Gold
Coast was the brain behind the introduction of broadcasting. He was assisted by British radio
engineer Mr. F.A.W Byron. The new broadcasting service was code-named Radio ZOY and was
managed by eight technicians and housed in a small bungalow at Ridge. (Devex, 2022)

Broadcasting first begun in four different Ghanaian languages namely Twi, Ga, Ewe, Fante and
later Hausa to translate BBC programs to the general populace. Part-time staff were engaged to
translate in these languages until 1943 where full-time staff were employed permanently.

British radio not only provided information and entertainment but also a means of countering the
anticolonial campaigns of the nationalist press. In 1954, Gold Coast Broadcasting System was
established, later becoming Ghana Broadcast Corporation (GBC) after independence in 1957.
GBC began providing two domestic radio services, Radio 1 and Radio 2 which, started
broadcasting from Accra. The legislation that basically set up GBC as an establishment was the
National Liberation Council Decree number 226 of 1968.
In 1986, GBC expanded FM service by opening new FM stations in the regions and districts of
Ghana in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Radio GAR operates in Accra, Garden City Radio in
Kumasi, Twin City FM in Sekondi-Takoradi, and Volta Star Radio in Ho. There were around 2.5
million wireless sets in Ghana, in addition to over 64,000 wired loudspeaker boxes.

In 1961 Ghana launched the External Service of Radio Ghana to beam information, propaganda,
and messages of support to peoples struggling for freedom and self-determination in all parts of
Africa. Programs were broadcast in Arabic, English, French, Hausa, Portuguese, and Swahili.
The system now relies on four 100-kilowatt transmitters located in Tema as well as two high-
powered transmitters, 250 kilowatts each, in Ejura in the Ashanti Region. Beyond Africa, the
service reaches North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia. After the coup in 1981, the
External Service was discontinued due to “technical and financial difficulties” and then
reinitiated in 1987.

In 1995 the Ghana Frequency Registration and Control Board (GFRCB) put out the first call for
applicants to operate broadcasting services independent of GBC. The first frequencies were
assigned in July 1995 for ten commercial radio services to operate in Accra, Kumasi and
Sekondi-Takoradi.

References
Devex. (2022, June 26). Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved from Devex:
https://www.devex.com/organizations/ghana-broadcasting-corporation-gbc

History of Radio. (2020, February 13). Retrieved from Happy Ghana:

https://www.happyradio.com/history-of-radio/